Budget: Quick guide to key points
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Your support makes all the difference.On the economy, security, health, manufacturing, trade and undustry, environment, vehicles, alcohol, smoking, jobs, pensions, inheritance tax, homes, ISas, child benefit, tax and education:
TAX
* Basic rate cut from 22p to 20p from April next year.
* 10p band removed on non-savings income.
* Inheritance tax threshold extended to £350,000.
* Upper limit for cash ISAs raised to £3,600 pa.
* 600,000 pensioners exempted from income tax.
* Pension credit guarantee to rise to £130 a week by 2010.
* Raised thresholds for top rate of tax to £43,000 by 2009.
VEHICLES
* Fuel duty up 2p a litre this year and next year - but this year's rise deferred to October.
* Biofuel discounts extended.
* Band B fuel-efficient cars see road duty cut from £50 to £35.
* Road duty for top-band vehicles raised to £300 this year, and £400 next year.
ALCOHOL AND SMOKING
* Duty on spirits frozen.
* Pint of beer and litre of cider up 1p each, wine up 5p a bottle, sparkling wine up 7p.
* From 6pm today, pack of 20 cigarettes up 11p.
* VAT cut from 17.5% to 5% on anti-smoking aids, such as patches.
ENVIRONMENT
* New zero-carbon homes costing up to £500,000 exempt from stamp duty.
* £800 million for Environmental Transformation Fund.
* Energy-efficient mortgages planned.
* £300 to £4,000 available for grants to pensioners installing insulation and central heating.
* Landfill tax to rise by £8 for each year to 2011.
* Tax relief on empty premises restricted to three months.
JOBS
* Jobs partnerships announced with major UK companies including M&S, Sainsbury's and Tesco, which could help up to 100,000 jobless people back into work over five years.
* And 50,000 16-17-year-olds to receive training wages.
CHILD BENEFIT
* Raised annually to £20 a week for first child.
* 200,000 more children to be lifted out of poverty.
* Free nursery education extended to 15 hours a week.
EDUCATION
* England spending to rise to £74 billion by 2010. Announcements on rest of the country later.
* Education spending will increase to 5.6% of national income - as compared with 4.5% in 1997.
HEALTH
* £8 billion more for the NHS.
BUSINESS
* Science investment to rise to £6.3 billion.
* Corporation tax down from 30p to 28p - lowest of all major economies.
* Small companies tax rate rises from 20p to 22p from 2009.
* All companies given £50,000 investment allowance.
PENSIONS
* Help for workers whose pensions have collapsed extended from £6 billion to £8 billion.
HOMES
* New shared equity competition to help first-time buyers.
SECURITY
* Extra £400 million for the Armed Forces.
* Extra £86 million for security and intelligence counterterrorism.
ECONOMY
* Net borrowing set to be £35 billion, or 2.7% of income, this year, reducing to £24 billion by 2012.
* Capital investment set to rise to £60 billion by 2012.
* 75% of new spending to be on frontline services.
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